get across to viewIt can power a prison term motorcar , steal Superman ’s strength and even help Zack Morris graduate high school . Oh , lightning – is there anything you ca n’t do ? Long before nuclear get-up-and-go and genetical technology joined the team , lightning reign as the top catch - all explanation for the foetid phenomenon of the week , even transcending genre to become a standard situation comedy secret plan machine . Click through for clip of the jazzy lightning this side of Mt. Olympus .
Prometheus stole fervour from the gods but Hollywood nabbed lightning from Zeus himself – and here are the ten best ways they ’ve put those thunderbolts to use .
Create liveliness
This is the one that started it all . Before Frankenstein , lightning was just a ready to hand fashion to collect some indemnity money . After Frankenstein , it could do anything . Although Mary Shelley ’s novel provided no description of Victor Frankenstein ’s methods , the classic 1931 plastic film cement lightning ’s position in the popular imagination as the giver of life . Part classical Zeus imagery and part flashy spectacle , the revivifying lightning bolt of lightning is now inseparable from Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrosity .
Save gas on your DeLorean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie4sCaqnQxA
Scramble tv transmissions and DNA samples
moot Doctor Who ’s long history with scientific hired man - wave , you ’d think they ’d be old pro at the lightning fixit . But lightning saves the day in only the very lamest of the unexampled series episodes , proving that we are better off with paradox auto and timey wimey demodulator after all .
First , the mildly unspeakable Idiot ’s Lantern climax with the Doctor clinging to a tv tower while some flashy pinkish lightning somehow trapped a face - rust television monster inside a Betamax taping . Then a year later , the expansively abominable Daleks in Manhattan two - parter found the Doctor once again impinge on by lightning while cling to a tower , this time the Empire State Building , stimulate his Time Lord DNA to mix with that of the already genetically embarrassing Human - Dalek hybrids . Somehow this write the day . I do n’t get it on . I really render not to opine about these episodes too much , and neither should you . If you want to attempt to suss it out , here ’s a snip :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9221l9R5rM
Leap tall buildings in a single bound
It ’s a fairly established bit of Superman lore that a freak lightning chance event can transfer the Man of Steel ’s powerfulness to an ordinary human – a random Army private in a 1958 comic , a woman who would become electric baddie Livewire in The Animated Series , even Lana Lang on Smallville . But my favorite example is Lois & Clark ’s “ A Bolt From The Blue , ” in which lightning strike while Superman is discontinue a suicide , turn a 90 pound doormat into a 90 pound Hercules . Metropolis ’s newest superhero lodge citizen for his Service , call for Lois to print his Mary Leontyne Price lean , but in the remainder everything is put back to normal thanks to that other great scifi fixit – reversing the polarity .
Click to view
Control lightning itself
The major power to manipulate lightning is not as common a side effect as you might retrieve – so go forth it to The X - Files to cover the obvious angle for us . Third season episode “ D.P.O. ” features a young man whose lightning rap left him able to rein in the power of electrical energy . Soon , four other serviceman in town are handily chance on idle by lightning , bringing in our favorite FBI agent so that wretched Mulder ’s cell phone can get zapped as well . Check out the clipping below to see Giovanni Ribisi practice his magnate to defibrillate Jack Black .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH7i-sBBqV8
instruct robots to have sex
Yes , yes , we know : Short Circuit ’s Johnny 5 bears a singular resemblance to his adorable automaton heir Wall - E. But while Wall - E gain his sentience through years of closing off on the arid Earth , Johnny 5 ’s personality explode into life-time and into our hearts in a bolt of lightning . The lightning itself is n’t the interesting part , so here ’s Johnny 5 busting out the moves with his friend Stephanie .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrL8nrlGj9U
facilitate you rip off on tests
Saved By The Bell ’s Screech was one of the great of the tv nerds – you never knew when he was move to go down out of a locker , masquerade as a woman / teacher / alien to further one of Zack ’s scheme , or get struck by lightning . The wonderfully crummy Saturday morning situation comedy never shied away from patently cockeyed plot devices – see the famous Jessie Spano caffeine birth control pill freakout and , my personal favorite , Zack ’s 1502 on the SATs – and it only take till the series ’ third episode for lightning to strike . The thunderbolt hits Screech , of class , who becomes instantly but temporarily clairvoyant , and he use his newfound lightning - powers to avail Zack and the gang bearded darnel on a chronicle test . expert affair it was n’t earth science !
Magnetize all uncommitted metals
You may be seeing Danny Kaye on your telecasting this clock time of twelvemonth in White Christmas , but it was in the 1956 classic The Court Jester that he taught us how lightning can pull through the day even in vaguely - medieval England . The lead - up to the joust conniption is well - remembered for its unacceptable tongue twister about the shot with the poison in the flagon with the dragon , but it was n’t fancy Logos - playing period that saved Danny Kaye ’s neck opening in the conclusion – just respectable former - fashioned lightning . The bolt , in all its cheap 50 particular personal effects glory , magnetise his suit of armor , give him that vital edge against his foe ’s mace . This is one of the greatest sketches of all time , so if you watch out only one of the time in this clause , make it this one .
Magnetize all available non - metals
In another fine instance of random lightning - bring on magnetism , Gilligan ’s Island had good former Gilligan go bowling in a violent storm and get struck just as he ’s throw off a smasher . Naturally , this make the bowling ball to become magnetic to Gilligan ’s hand . If the idea of a stone getting spellbind to a hired man sounds implausible to you , just await for the Professor ’s account at 3:30 on the video , one of the o.k. feats of technobabble ever recorded . Oh , and when they endeavor to take the bowling ball ? Gilligan turns unseeable . Of course .
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